It's a career course taken by a lot of Denver Broncos tailbacks, from afterthought to starter, and now Ron Dayne seems poised to travel the same path.

The former Heisman Trophy winner, a disappointment for much of his six-year career, has signed a three-year contract to remain in Denver rather than test the unrestricted free agent market. And in re-upping for three more seasons, Dayne is suddenly the favorite to move up to the starting lineup, to replace Mike Anderson, who was released last week for salary cap reasons.

Complete financial details of Dayne's contract were not yet available, but it is believed that he received a signing bonus of about $700,000.